FULLERTON, Calif. (April 5, 2006) — Eight Yokohama tire dealers will each sponsor three drivers in the 12-race Champ Car Atlantic Championship series as part of a program by Yokohama Tire Corp., which is the series´ tire supplier.
Yokohama gave its prime spot on the nose of the race vehicles to the dealers, who selected their teams during a three-round blind draw.
“This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get our dealer network involved in the excitement of the Atlantic series,” said Robert Dole, Fullerton-based Yokohama´s product promotion manager.
All dealers with a driver in the running for the title will be invited to the season finale race at Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wis., the weekend of Oct. 7-8. The dealer whose driver wins the championship will be recognized on stage with the driver and receive a memento to mark the moment.
Participating dealers are Big O Tires Inc., Conrad's Tire Express, Discount Tire Co. Inc., Tire Rack, Tire Warehouse Inc., Wheel Works and TBC Corp.'s National Tire & Battery (NTB) and Tire Kingdom chains.
The series' first race is April 9 at Long Beach, Calif. Atlantic cars are single-seat racers powered by 2.3-liter Cosworth four-cylinder race engines; the competition is considered a development series for open-wheel racers.